NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Bill Lee will deliver his annual State of the State address on Monday.
During the State of the State, the governor will reflect on work by the General Assembly while also discussing his plans for the future of Tennessee. A proposal to offer families public funds to help pay for non-public education is expected to be a major part of his speech on Monday evening.
“There are thousands of parents in this state who know their student would thrive in a different setting, but the financial barrier is simply too high. It’s time that we change that. It’s time that parents get to decide – and not the government – where their child goes to school and what they learn," an excerpt of the speech said.
Critics of the proposal said it could be abused by parents, and said it would fund schools that may not need to follow the state's education guidelines. They raised concerns it would drain funds for public schools over time. Some boards of education across the state have also passed resolutions symbolically opposing the proposal.
"We can give parents choice and support public schools at the same time. You’ll hear me say that over and over again – these two ideas are not in conflict," another excerpt of Lee's speech said.
The Governor is also expected to talk about plans to build up economic activity in rural areas, and workforce development strategies. He is also expected to tout the state's overall economy after it consistently ranked highly as a favorable location for businesses.
“Now more than ever, people across our nation are turning to Tennessee as a model for economic prosperity – and it’s clear why. Over the past five years, Tennessee has been ranked as the fastest-growing economy of all 50 states, the number one state for fiscal stability, a top state for business, the second lowest-taxed state per capita, and the lowest debt state in America. Any state would envy the position that we’ve been in," another excerpt of the speech said.
This year, the governor also championed legislation designed to protect singers and songwriters from having their work copied by artificially intelligent programs.
"It’s only right that we lead the nation in this effort. Tennessee is the music capital of the world, and we intend to keep it that way," an excerpt of the speech said.
Governor Bill Lee will give the State of the State address at 7 p.m. Eastern Time from the House Chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol.
People can watch the address live through the YouTube page below.